Xref: utzoo comp.unix.ultrix:735 comp.sys.dec:1132
Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ronin!brian
From: brian@ronin.cc.umich.edu (Brian Wolfe)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.ultrix,comp.sys.dec
Subject: Re: tar and Exabyte under Ultrix
Keywords: tar r, Exabyte 8mm, Ultrix
Message-ID: <1036@mailrus.cc.umich.edu>
Date: 29 Mar 89 01:04:11 GMT
References: <416@seila.UUCP>
Sender: usenet@mailrus.cc.umich.edu
Reply-To: brian@ronin.cc.umich.edu (Brian Wolfe)
Followup-To: comp.unix.ultrix
Organization: Not even at Gunpoint
Lines: 33
UUCP-Path: mailrus!ronin!brian

In article <416@seila.UUCP> don@seila.UUCP (Don Kossman) writes:
>we have an Exabyte 8mm cartridge drive, with the Q-bus
>controller distributed by Contemporary Cybernetics, installed
>in a MicroVAX-II running Ultrix 3.0.  We just had the
>drive upgraded to the latest ROM level.
>
>we use it for dumps, which work just fine, and have used
>it with tar as well, but only with the "c" option (ie create
>a new archive).  when i use the tar "r" option (ie append to
>the end of the archive), however, i get an "error 0,
>writing to archive 1".  the exact same operation works just
>fine with my TK50 and TU81-plus...
>
>has anybody seen this or something similar?  IS THERE A WORKAROUND?
>(We don't have Ultrix source)

Well I've experienced a few bits of weirdness with a TTi CTS-8  (I think the
drive mechanism is actually made by Exabyte too) and tar. You might try
using mt to position to the end of tape and then try a tar c (I haven't
actually tried this) using /dev/nrmt# to keep appending archives. Its 
nasty, but it may be worth trying.

I frequently get archive blocksize=0 errors on my 8mm when I try to read
from it, the mt fsf sometimes does the trick.
 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brian Wolfe                    Internet: BAW@um.cc.umich.edu
Systems Analyst                UUCP:     {ucbvax,uunet}!umix!hfhrv!brian
Henry Ford Hospital
Detroit MI 48202
(313)-876-7461
-------------------------------------------------------------------------